Steve Sabol, visionary behind NFL Films, dies

Anyone who closely follows the National Football League knows the work, if not the name of Steve Sabol, who was the creative force behind NFL Films. Sabol, 69, died today after an 18-month fight with brain cancer.

NFL Films was created by his father, Ed, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011. Steve pushed his father, now 95, in a wheelchair for his acceptance speech.

“Steve Sabol was the creative genius behind the remarkable work of NFL Films,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “Steve’s passion for football was matched by his incredible talent and energy. Steve’s legacy will be part of the NFL forever. He was a major contributor to the success of the NFL, a man who changed the way we look at football and sports, and a great friend.”

Ed Sabol won the rights to film the league’s 1962 championship game, giving birth to NFL Films. Steve worked as a cameraman that day at Yankee Stadium, springing a 50-year career.

David Hill, former Fox Sports Chairman and current News Corp. senior executive vice president, released the following statement on Sabol’s passing:

“It is with tremendous sadness that we learned of the legendary Steve Sabol’s passing. He was a terrific man and a skilled and talented artist.

“Steve and his father, Ed, built NFL Films from nothing and were pioneers in sports television and filmmaking, and after taking the reins from his father, Steve put his own stamp on NFL Films, and its ability to capture football’s nuance and subtlety.

“When we started Fox Sports, no one was more helpful than Steve, and in a short time he became a great, great friend. He was always there to listen to one of my idiotic ideas. Nothing was ever too much trouble for Steve, and no one, absolutely no one could rock a pink shirt while talking about the NFL as well as he could.

“He was greatly respected and will be missed by everyone at Fox and the entire NFL community.”